Almost Doesn't Count
by Jake Crepeau
Summary: In the immediate aftermath of "Buffalo Bill and Annie Play the Palace," Jeffrey learns the disastrous consequences his disobedience could have had.


_**Voyagers!  
**_"**Almost" Doesn't Count  
****by  
****Jake Crepeau**

In most instances, it didn't matter if they vanished in front of others; what couldn't be explained, people tended to ignore and eventually to forget. There were other times, however, when it would post a major risk to history, and doing something so blatantly out of the ordinary in the sight of soldiers tasked with nothing less than the protection of the Queen of England—not to mention the monarch herself—was right at the top of the list. Thus the Voyager and his young partner headed for the castle gate on foot, planning to be well out of sight before using the Omni.

Jeffrey was glad to be leaving; every moment they lingered increased the likelihood that something would happen to reveal his horrible mistake. He'd managed to correct it, and everything had turned out all right, so Bogg need never know. But he had not counted on the very guards he'd evaded, coming off duty and teasing each other about letting a mere child outsmart them, just as he and Bogg passed.

There was only one "child" they could be talking about, but sneaking _into_ the courtyard? What had he been doing _outside_ it in the first place, Bogg wondered. It wasn't hard to guess. Did he think he could get away with it because he hadn't been caught? Not this time, not when it could have jeopardized…

He reined in _that_ thought in a hurry. _He's only twelve,_ he reminded himself forcibly. The kid was so precocious that it was easy to forget that simple fact; he'd learned _that_ lesson a long time ago.

_Uh-oh; busted!_ Jeffrey thought in dismay as he watched his guardian's mouth compress into that too-familiar straight line. "Bogg—"

"Not now," he cut the boy off tersely. The kid certainly did have a major dressing-down coming to him, but he wouldn't humiliate him by delivering it where anyone else could hear.

Jeffrey really didn't blame him for being angry; he'd nearly messed up big-time. Not until it had looked like he wouldn't be able to do the job Bogg had given him had he realized how critical a task it had been. If he hadn't been able to get back inside the gate, they might well have failed in their mission. That had never happened to Bogg before, he knew, and the Voyager probably never would have forgiven him.

Finally, when they had left the palace behind, Bogg came to a halt and said, "Want to tell me about it?"

It might have been phrased as a question, but it was no request. "I took a horse and tried to go after you," Jeffrey admitted in a small voice. "But the cinch broke and I fell off; the horse kept running. Then the guards weren't going to let me back in; I had to sneak in behind a wagon." He couldn't look up; he didn't want to see the deadly glare he could feel boring right through him.

"Now, you _know_ the mission comes first," Bogg said. "You've always known it; I watched you put your own life on the line when you'd only been at this a few days. I might have expected something like this at the beginning, but not now. You know better; you've proved it time and time again." He let out his breath in a long sigh. The kid wasn't offering any defense, nor was he acting sullen the way he sometimes did when Bogg had to scold him; that made it pretty obvious he knew _exactly_ what he'd almost done. Maybe, if he handled this right, he could finally put an end to this sort of thing. "I trusted you, Jeffrey," he said at last. "I trusted you with something every bit as critical as Annie's rescue, and you let me down. It doesn't matter that you did what I told you in the end," he cut off the rising protest. "You only did because you had no way to follow me once your horse ran off. Or am I wrong?"

The boy shook his head mutely, no longer trusting his voice to remain steady. When Bogg said nothing more, he looked up uncertainly, then quickly looked away. That reproachful look was even worse than the glare. Maybe he'd already done something unforgiveable, even if they'd managed to accomplish their mission successfully; he had to know. "Bogg?"

The Voyager settled to the ground and motioned for the boy to have a seat as well. He'd said his piece; it was time to let the kid have his say.

Jeff settled next to him, drawing up his knees, crossing his arms over them and momentarily resting his chin on the "bridge" thus formed, then turned and looked at his partner once more. "What if…what if I hadn't been able to get back in? The whole assignment would've been wrecked."

"Not quite," Bogg told him. "If you hadn't been able to get back in, another Voyager would have been sent to help us out. But there's a price to be paid when that happens. When the mission is completed, the one who needed the help is recalled to Headquarters to face an inquiry; sometimes he's penalized if they decide it was his fault." (1)

His eyes widening, Jeffrey asked in an unsteady voice, "I just broke the Code, didn't I?"

"Not even close," Bogg reassured him.

"That inquiry sure would've found it was my fault, though."

Bogg winced. The answer was going to cut the kid to the quick, but he'd never lied to him before, not even by omission, and he wasn't about to start now. He drew another deep breath, then said, "Yeah, probably…but you haven't been to Voyager school, haven't taken the oath yet, so if things hadn't worked out right, you're not the one who would have taken the fall."

All the color drained from Jeffrey's face. "You mean they would have punished _you_ for what _I_ did?"

Bogg nodded unhappily. "As far as they're concerned, it would've meant I wasn't doing my job as a trainer, and that _is_ a Code violation."

At that, the tears Jeffrey had been fighting would be held back no longer. "Knowing that is worse than any punishment you could possibly come up with."

Drawing him into a hug, Bogg told him gently, "I know it's hard for you to stay behind when you know I'm going into a dangerous situation. But sometimes, like today, it's the only way to get the job done."

_...the hardest thing a young man has ever been asked to do: Wait,_ Albert Schweizer's words rang in his ears, and suddenly the full enormity of his failure hit him. "I wasn't much of a partner this time."

"What? Are you kidding?" Releasing his hold, Bogg lifted Jeff's chin and smiled at him. "I meant every word of that lecture, but none of it takes away from what you accomplished once you did go back." He opened the Omni to show him the green light. "You contributed every bit as much to this as I did, maybe more, since you had the harder job. For that, I'm proud of you."

A tentative smile spread across Jeffrey's face as he wiped his eyes. "You are?"

Now Bogg chuckled. "Whatever the American military may say, one 'aw nuts' does _not_ wipe out ten 'attaboys.'"

Jeffrey looked quizzically at him. "Where'd you pick _that_ one up?" he asked.

"From a Marine I knew in Voyager school," he replied, getting to his feet. "And here's another one: 'Almost' doesn't count, except in horseshoes, grenades, and atom bombs."

He'd heard that one many times before, but it had always ended with the horseshoes; the additions made him blink, and then he burst out laughing.

"That's better," Bogg grinned. "Ready to go now?"

Nodding emphatically, Jeff replied fervently, "Let's blow this joint!"

_**finis**_

1 Voyager Code, Article IV, section xi, from the Guidebook.


End file.
